I am applying for a J1 visa in the USA. One of the requirements listed here
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/exchange.html
says that I need a passport with a validity date six months beyond the intended period of stay in the US, but I am from Australia which has an exemption to that rule, and it says I only need a passport valid for my intended period of stay.
If my intended period of stay is 3 years, but my passport expires about 4 months before the end of that three year period, do I actually need to renew it before applying for the visa? It's possible for me to renew my passport from within the USA, so I wasn't sure if this was necessary. I may also visit home during that 3 year period, in case that matters.